Saturday May 13, 2011

Have you ever been in a period of your life when you sensed that God was impressing you do do something or to call someone? Have you experienced a time in your life when things were lining up just right and it seemed that you didn’t have to put forth any energy as the pieces just seemed to go together? I have experienced it occasionally in my counseling practice. I remember a couple of times when I was at my desk and had an impression put on my mind to call someone. When I acted on that impression, I heard on the other end something like, “How did you know to call just now. I was just thinking about you and wanted to talk to you.”. When I have experienced these encounters, I am reminded about a situation in Esther’s life that had a similar outcome.

Esther was chosen as the queen of Persia and Media. She was of Jewish decent, but no one knew it and Haman, second in command in the country, hated the Jews and especially Mordecai because he wouldn’t bow down to him. Haman got the king to sign an edict that on a certain day all Jews were to be killed. The edict would mean that Queen Esther would be killed as well and Mordecai, her adoptive father wanted her to try to stop it by going into the king and requesting a reprieve for all Jews. Esther was fearful of going into the king because she hadn’t been asked in for a month and if someone went in without being asked, it was death for that person. Mordecai responded to her by saying, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). She had been put in a position to effect change for the Jewish nation and the question was whether she would use her position to save the Jewish nation from being killed. She was there for such a time as this.

What about us. God has us in a relationship or a job right now. He may have you interacting with certain individuals for something He has in store for you to do. For Esther, she had to be open to being used by God to save the Jewish nation. Are we willing to do whatever He asks in our present position or present relationship to change that person or that position? Every day could be a “Such a time as this” experience if we are open to God’s direction and His prompting.

On this journey, there will be experiences that are God ordained if we keep our mind open and our hearts willing to do whatever He asks.